Child's Play
by MatrixKnight
Summary: AU: Teen punk Levi is sitting in the hospital waiting room, Hange dragging him there because of a cracked rib from one of his infamous school fights. A little boy with big green eyes comes to invade his personal space and 'cheer him up'. Punk Levi, four-year-old Eren, fluffiness and so on. Enjoy :)


A pair of virescent eyes were ogling up at me.

I stared back, not even raising a brow at the odd occurrence placing its palms on my knees. A small child with shortly cropped brunette hair eyed me in wonder, his pupils dragging most likely from my ear piercings, to the bruise on my cheek, to the clothes draped on my body. He seemed almost intrigued.

The sight was without a doubt unseen. Children usually cowered in my presence.

"Big bro, big bro." He called to me and extended his tiny finger, pointing the appendage to my earring. I knew it. "How did you get that tiny hole in your ear?"

He was referring to the stretcher in my ear. I only kept them small enough to stick horns and things of the like in them. I casually look around the waiting area. Plenty of seats, a flat screen playing some health channel I've never heard of, a play section with rainbow blocks and puzzles, and a certain pest with glasses who went to my school conversing science with an old man. She was the sole reason I was here in the first place.

I did not want to be here.

Somehow, Hange had caught me in a middle of one of my fights and successfully dragged me to the hospital. I should have gunned it when I had the chance.

I turned back to the child waiting patiently in front of me for an answer to drop. I blew off the question and pointed my thumb backwards to the elderly man sitting behind me. "Hey kid, is that your grandpa?"

The boy tilted his head over, and then returned his smile to me. "No, I've never seen that man before."

I noticed his hands were still on my knees. I wasn't keen on children touching me, since they were prime carriers of bacteria other than bugs and raccoons.

I kept my silver eyes locked with his, shifting my foot over my knee, the boy instinctively moving his hands. It didn't do much. He only leaned his arms on my black jean and continued to smile up at me.

Well… I _guess_ it was okay.

"Big bro, why are you here?" He shifted his face to the side. "That looks like it hurts…"

My tongue pressed against the injury from the inside of my mouth, feeling in the tinge of pain poking like a needle in my face. "It does."

"What happened?"

"I fell."

"On what?"

"Down the stairs."

"That's lame."

My eyebrow twitched. I sighed off the insulting feeling and only raised my nose towards the ceiling, various clips playing back in my head.

The back of a white building… Punching and kicking… Five on one. The feeling of a rib cracking and the satisfaction of giving those thugs a beat down. I remembered them all fresh in my mind. People were always attacking me, and I attacked back.

What a lifestyle, right?

"Yeah… It is."

I felt something small grab the fabric of my black skinny jeans and haul itself up into my lap. I winced as he made his way in between my crossed legs and made himself comfortable. "Oi…!"

He sat, making himself comfortable and stared up at me. "Do people not like you, big bro?"

My eyes widened only slightly, blinking in surprise at how perceptive he was. He could have only been four or five. The kid pulled his legs in and balled his body up, lacing his fingers and continuing to stare. I made a displeased noise. It was like those big emerald greens were staring into my inner thoughts.

I sent one flick to his forehead. "You shouldn't just sit in random people's laps. It's dangerous."

"Ow!" He placed his palms to his forehead, pouting at me. "Well, you aren't answering any of my questions!"

"I'm not obligated to."

"... O… Oblirated."

I let out a stressed huff, taking one more look around the waiting area. Still empty, other than Hange talking off that poor man's ear. Would it kill her to lay off?

"Kid, where are your parents?"

The boy went to bite his nail and pointed towards the door. I pulled his finger away from his mouth.

"Don't do that."

He glared at me. "But my tooth is wobbly."

Now that he mentioned it, he was missing a couple of teeth. "Kid, how old are you?"

"Four!" He gave me a big smile with an incomplete set of whites to show off to the world. I lightly pinched his cheek.

"You should be with your parents and not hanging around big scary guys like me. I'm dangerous, you know. I could easily eat you up." My eyes narrowed, darting like daggers into his soul. People fell to their knees when they saw my face; children cried.

This was obviously ineffective to this child.

"Big bro isn't scary." He smacked my hand away, then got on his knees, pulling my cheeks. "Big bro is a person like everyone else!"

I only watched him in awe. From the very beginning, he approached me. He climbed into my lap without hesitation, and he had seen through me what would have been impossible for anyone else to see. He lowered his head, eyes drooping down to his shirt.

"... Why did you come talk to me?" It slipped. Usually words I thought never escaped my mind, but I couldn't help asking this time. This brunette child was very extraordinary.

He paused. "... You looked sad. So I came to talk to you. I thought maybe you got into a fight with one of your friends."

"What makes you say that?" I leaned my cheek on my knuckles, curious.

"I have a friend who gets bullied a lot. You make the same face when you try to be strong, but you're still sad. But he cries _a lot_."

Some air escaped my nostrils and I sat myself up, placing my hands under his armpits and sitting him on my leg properly. "I'm not sad. You don't have to worry about me."

"You're lying. You're in a lot of pain. I can tell." He grabbed a fistful of my black T. "But don't worry! When my dad sees you, he'll get you allll fixed up, and you'll feel better! My dad is good at those things! He can cure _anyone_!"

So that's why his parents aren't with him. He's at work with his dad - a doctor. It must have been nice… Having such great parents. I gave him a faint smile, not even realizing it myself.

"You sound proud of him."

He seemed mesmerized by my change in expression, then tugged my shirt. "Big bro, what's your name? I'm Eren Jaeger."

But I wasn't too keen on giving out my information. Especially to big-mouthed, four-year-old children. I pasted my blank facade back on and leaned to the side.

"The Dark Dragon."

"Psh. That's not your name!"

"It is."

"Isn't."

"Is-"

"LEEEVIIII!"

I deadpanned. Thanks, Hange.

The brown haired girl skipped over and made herself comfortable in the seat next to me. I scowled purposely in her general direction. Her happiness gave me a nauseated feeling in my stomach.

No, just her being there made me nauseated.

"Keep your voice down, Hange. We're in a waiting room."

"-You won't believe the conversation I just had! That old man was a _biochemist_ and his wife was a mathematician, he's here for his kidney though." She crossed her arms, tsking away. "Poor thing…" Her eyes locked in surprise at the boy in my lap.

She pointed. "Who's this?"

"Doctor's son."

"And you're letting him sit in _your lap_?"

I didn't want to answer.

"Well…" She adjusted her glasses and leaned in. "Well if he isn't just the cutest thing! Hi~! I'm Hange Zoe, and what's your name, little fella?"

Before he could open his mouth and muster an answer, the freak of nature was already kneeling in front of him and taking his palm, tracing her nail down his palm line. "Ahh, children's hands are always so smooth and healthy! And it seems like you're losing teeth, too!"

I rolled my eyes. Here we go.

"This big sis is weird."

"Yes she is." I replied with no hesitation.

"So? Why did you decide to sit with Levi? He's scary for a seventeen year old, you know! He could swallow you whole!"

"He looked sad."

"I did not."

"Oooh! I see." Hange adjusted her glasses. "Well, Levi did just get out of a big fight you know. Cracked his rib!" She bragged as if it was an accomplishment.

"Hange!"

The woman rose to her feet, placing her hands on her hips. "He's refused to go to the hospital before, but I seemed to have won him over this time! Now he can be properly examined!"

"Why don't _you_ just probe me, I'm sure you have some wack surgical tools hiding in a secret panel in your room for aliens or something." I felt a little bit of vomit in the back of my throat.

"Levi, you shouldn't say such things in front of a child!" She scolded.

"Pot calling the kettle black…" I groaned.

"Ignore him; he's a bit of a sour puss." She smiled happily.

As she continued to talk, I stared over at the pile of multi-colored blocks and lifted the child up into my arm, carrying him away. "C'mon, let's get away from the smiling creep."

"Excuse me?!"

It was then a sudden shock of pain shot through my chest and forced me to my knees. Eren leapt out of my arms, standing in front of me with concern as I gripped my chest tightly, almost clawing at it from how much sting was surging through my abdomen.

"Big bro, are you okay!?"

"Levi!" Hange also came to my side, wrapping an arm around my back. "Is it your chest?"

"I'll go get someone!" Eren ran off with his tiny legs before I could stretch my hand out and stop him. I tumbled to my side, groaning in pain. Hange took my shirt and slid it up, cringing a bit at the sight.

"I'm going to touch it a bit… But it's already turning black." She pressed; I jerked.

"It's… Definitely broken. I think it might have punctured something!" Her fingers laced around my hand in comfort, trying to reassure me. "Don't worry; someone is coming to get you. Just hang on, don't lose consciousness!"

My vision started to blur, the sounds of a cart being rolled out and a little boy's voice shouting to me approaching in the distance. I was lifted up; shocks of pain waving inside of me from my chest to my toes as they carefully placed me on a rolling bed.

I looked over, there was that child's face, running alongside the bed and staring at me with tear-filled eyes.

"You're going to be okay, big bro!"

Watching him and Hange follow the bed into the hallway, seeing how concerned they were about me, despite my history; who I was and what I had done; peace surely had settled into my soul.

A little boy who saw me for who I was made me realize… Maybe I wasn't so bad. And maybe this rib was payback for all of the crimes I had committed.

The halted the bed, the boy looking his teary eyes over the edge of the bed while the doctors prepared the emergency room. I looked over, clasping his tiny hand into my long fingers.

"... You touch people, kid. Keep spreading hope to others, and never judge."

"Let's go, we have to hurry him in there!" A nurse came running out, grabbing my bed. They rolled me into the room.

I heard a shout from the other end.

"I promise!"

* * *

**A/N: This has to be one of the worst fanfics I've ever written when it comes to plot quality, but I still had tons of fun writing it ; u ;. I hope you enjoyed it as well. Make sure to review and so on!**


End file.
